Linaria

Linaria is a genus of 150 species of flowering plants, one of several related groups commonly called toadflax. They are annuals and herbaceous perennials, and the largest genus in the Antirrhineae tribe of the plantain family Plantaginaceae. Linaria was traditionally placed in the family Scrophulariaceae. Phylogenetic analysis has now placed it in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae. Closely related genera include the Nuttallanthus (American toadflaxes, recently split from Linaria), Antirrhinum (snapdragons) and Cymbalaria (ivy-leaved toadflaxes). Several Linaria species are cultivated as garden plants, notably L. alpina (alpine toadflax), L. maroccana (Moroccan toadflax), L. purpurea (purple toadflax) and L. vulgaris (common toadflax). Some of the more familiar Linaria include: The members of this genus are known in English as toadflax, a name shared with several related genera. The 'toad' in toadflax may relate to the plants having historically been used to treat bubonic plague, a false link having been drawn between the words 'bubo' and 'Bufo'. The scientific name Linaria means 'resembling linum' (flax), which the foliage of some species superficially resembles. The genus is native to temperate regions of Europe, northern Africa and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Some Linaria are regarded as noxious weeds. They are likely toxic to livestock, but ruminants generally avoid them.